Celebrating Amanda Marshall and the music we can love to love.

Amanda Marshall is a singer based in Canada. In this blog, I look at how and why her music is really neat and special. Most importantly, her music is very feminist and free of so many of the problems we see in our contemporary music.

Amanda Marshall has been my favorite singer since the mid 1990s. Her band, her voice, and her songs are perfect and very unique. The “live” versions (many are available on YouTube, many of these are linked on the unofficial Facebook fan page) are very different than the CD versions in most cases. All are of outstanding quality.

Before going further, take 6 minutes. Relax. Close your eyes. And please listen to this:

I am the Amanda Marshall fan! She is one of just a few singers who I would love getting to visit with. 🙂 I have every song she has recorded on both of my computers, on my iPhone, and of course, on all of my backup systems. Once a long time ago–sometime in the late 1990s–I got word that she was going to be on some radio station somewhere far away but it was going to stream live on the Internet, and my parents let me stay up late (past midnight for a 4th/5th grader is a big deal!) to hear her.

While in Canada her music has generallyranked very highly, her music hasn’t been given the same opportunity in the United States or elsewhere.

I have never figured out why she isn’t an everyday house-hold name. She certainly deserves to be one more than many who are house-hold names.

One thing that makes her a really special musician is that all of the songs on her major CDs are 100% original to her. Many of them she wrote or co-wrote. The others songs were written for her by friends. She never sings “her version” of already-popular songs.

Her songs all tell some kind of story or life lesson; discuss feelings (not looks); have some kind of special, positive message; and/or communicate that any kind of relationship must be about mutual, consensual love. The positive messages in these songs is communicated without being over the top or even that obvious (except for Believe in You). Its regular, adult contemporary music that goes against the usual beat. Many of her songs are autobiographical in full or in part. AND unlike so muchmusic that perpetuates the Culture of Rape, Marshall’s music never does that. Additionally, her music frequently uses gender neutral pronouns.

It was just last night that I went through all of her music song-by-song, line-by-line to look for any potential problems. Now, I like her more than ever before. Music that sounds great, is unique, and is free of racism, sexism, heterosexism, cisgender sexism, classism, imperialism, etc. What more can we ask for!

Below, is a list of her songs with the lyrics linked. A brief excerpt, summary, and/or comments are provided for some of the ones I really, really like. On the right you’ll see the album cover. Clicking on the image will take you to the Amazon page to buy a copy! If you want to start with her music, I would recommend her 1999 album as the prefect starting point. Or pull up YouTube!

Double Agent– absolutely love this one about navigating the world as being Black while looking White

I’m a double agent on my momma’s sideThe shit I hear you say just blows my mindEvery time, recognizeThough who I am to you is not a lieI don’t have to volunteer and sayThat I was born a particular wayI got not uniform, I’m camouflaged in any lightObviously you can’t tellI’m a double agent on my momma’s side

Red Magic Marker– a final declaration of love but with an understanding that it may not be reciprocated

Sunday Morning After– one of my least personal favorites, but explores the questions that follow an unexpected adventurous night

32 replies

Thank you so very much for this. Here in Canada, Amanda is often referred to as “the little lady with the great big voice” and she is indeed, one of our finest musical treasures. I wish I was at liberty to comment on what I’ve heard via industry-insiders as to why it’s been such a long time since her last album. Here’s hoping her next one is sooner rather than later. And I hope I’m not “…too old to believe in, promises.”

Thank YOU, and thank you for reading and commenting. She has an incredible voice, great songs, etc., etc., etc.! 🙂 It’s sad that sometimes the best aren’t allowed to just shine. I really, really hope she’s able to make more albums. 🙂

I agree 100% with your comments, Andrew. It is a shame that she has been prevented from recording more of her amazing music. We last saw her play at Windsor Casino 4 or 5 years ago and she was just as good as the first time we saw her play a show at the Western Fair, outdoors in the rain. Her music is powerful, important and needs to be heard. Thanks for this blog post.

I’m 80 years old and agree with you. Amanda is a fellow Virgo, and IMHO that’s her problem. She finds it impossible to just go along & get along. Fortunately there are people like you in her corner who appreciate her true worth. I hope she reads this blog. Bless you.

I am by no means a young person. The only song I ever heard Amanda Marshall sing was “Ride” and that was because my son, who is now 36 years old, was listening to it back in the late 90’s.. I never went on you tube before the Year Of Our Lord, 2015. Yeh… I’m up with the times. Anyway, I remembered “Ride” and wanted to see if it was on there. Well it was, along with a lot of other song I never new she wrote and sang. Needless to say, I bought them all. I don’t know why her songs were never played in America. She could very easily have been a “Superstar”. I started to read about her and that’s how I ended up here. I was in a few bands back in the 60’s and I never lost my love of music. Amanda’s voice just revitalized what has always been in my heart. The love of “song”. Thanks Andrew for letting me comment.

When her first album came out I was still in grade school. I remember a period when Canadian radio was literally flooded with songs by female singer songwriters like Amanda, Alanis, Sarah M. (Lilith Fair), Jewel, Chantal K., Paula Cole, Tori A., Sheryl Crow… There was a lot of alternative rock music. They were in constant rotation.

I was probably too young to appreciate commercial radio back then. I remember feeling extremely bored to death in the summer break and fiddling the with the radio dial a lot hoping to listen to more “fresh”, fun tunes without much success.

Now that I am an adult and very much interested in music, revisiting music of that era is a totally different experience, with a hint of nostalgia too.

I got into Amanda when I discovered that I could sing her songs. As a petite myself, I find her big, unapologetic voice inspiring. I also admire her fierce leonine mane of golden curls. My favourite song of hers is “Shades of Grey” revealing her surprising biracial heritage and her thoughts on interracial love. “Birmingham” is a close second.

I too have a mane. Mostly grey ! And I LOVE Amanda Marshall ! When she hits my system I am in heaven !! Few singers have had that effect on me. I’m hoping to be buried with her; CD/MP3/FLAC that is !! She is played wider than you might think, I hear her often on Stingray/Shaw, Sirius Sat Radio and pure Internet Radio, particularly Radio Swiss Pop. The latter plays selections voted world wide as favourites; so this is quite impressive. I dont know the whole story of her dearth of new public material, but would love to hear. Email me. I gather its all some sort of legal hassle; in which case I hope her adversaries soon accept her musical talent contribution as more important than their control or money. Looks to me like she’s not budging.

Flaccing my CDs I came across her 1995 CD bought in the Netherlands and played by Frits Spits in the Avondspits radio show a lot. Beautiful Goodbye is out of this galaxy… Will be looking for the other CDs coming days.

We LOVE AMANDA MARSHALL….ITS MY WOMAN’S FAVOURITE ..I MEAN SHE IS MY WOMANS AND ONE OF MY FAVOURITE SONGWRITERSCAND SINGERS TOO..AND A VERY COURAGEOUS AND BEAUTIFUL WOMAN AS WELL. IM BRYAN..MY WOMAN HAS A HISTORY OF MUSICAL CAREERS TOO. WELL…HER NAME IS KRISTINA K. KAVALAK. THNX!! XO 💜💜💜

More than 20 years ago Amanda’s debut album was one of my favorite albums at the time and i still love hearing it. All the tracks were great not just the singles. And it chartered pretty high down here in Australia. But after that i didn’t hear anything other than the TIN CUP soundtrack song. I always wanted to hear more but never really heard anything else after that. The other day i pulled out the CD played it and still love it. I did a search on YouTube and found a great concert she did in Ottawa in 2017 WOW! it’s great. I hope Amanda keeps doing more great stuff, I’d love the chance to see her tour Australia one day. Does anyone know much about her life? Is she married? or have family? I can’t see anything on Wikipedia about her life? Just curious!
Oh and Happy Birthday too soon Amanda! Cheers Glenn. xxx
Here’s a link to the YouTube concert if any one would like to view it.

Amanda is the BEST. I live in the US, not a lot of my friends had heard,of her but everytime I play her music for someone who,doesnt know her, they LOVE it! I wish she would tour the US, put out a new album and have some social media where we could at least hear from her every once in a while.

Hey I love Amanda, I have known her since the 90s, she has had many difficult periods in her life, and today, I am happy to see her back in shape and …. satisfied (I hope).
The only thing that I regret with her is that she will not be able to renew herself, no more recording since the early 2000s, is it because of her breach of contract with her ( old record company), I don’t know, but I also hope that she will not live only on her past, because as superb were her songs and musical arrangements at the time, I find it surprising that we have more new songs for 17 years now!